This invention relates to an automatic paper sheet feeding apparatus to be used in a relation to an business machine such as printer having a platen, for feeding a number of paper sheets of a certain size automatically successively to the platen.
A typical example of the conventional automatic paper sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a stack of paper sheets piled in a cassette to a platen of a printer successively is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,415.
In the disclosed apparatus, a front edge of each paper sheet is guided to a paper sheet supply opening of the platen by rotating the platen in a reverse direction to a direction along which the paper sheet is taken in. In the conventional apparatus using roller friction, a length of the paper sheet which is pulled out by a paper separating roll depends upon the quality of the paper sheet, the degree of wear of the paper sheet separating roll and/or the pressing force of the roll. Therefore, when the length is not sufficient, the front edge of the paper sheet does not reach a predetermined position and thus it can not be fed to the platen which is rotated forwardly according to a printing instruction. In such case, the printing position on the paper sheet may not be on a correct line.
In order to resolve this problem, it may be possible to pull out the paper sheet excessively. In such case, however, the front end portion of the paper sheet may contact with the platen rotating rearwardly, causing a noise to be produced and increasing the possibility of damage to the front end portion of the paper sheet. Furthermore, the front end portion of the paper sheet may be repelled by the rearwardly rotating platen and thus it may be bent, which causes the front end portion of the paper sheet to be folded or to be led away from a correct feeding direction.